“Claire”

For the first single from a forthcoming 6-track EP from Montreal's Clarian (who is also one half of Footprintz), the Canadian reached well beyond the border to collaborate with Tel Aviv-born, Madrid-based producer Guy Gerber on "Claire." Gerber has been a major player on Israel's electronic scene since 2006, running his own Supplemental Facts label and infusing traces of minimal techno, tech house, downtempo and deep house in his productions, while remaining singular in his approach. Clarian's vocal contributions were at the heart of Gerber's progressive house-leaning Fabric mix from last year, which joined the likes of Ricardo Villalobos and Omar-S of artists that turned in single-artist mixes to the series. "Claire" starts amid a queasy vocal snippet (with Clarian's French whisper lodged in at the midpoint) and threatens to go darker and deeper. But a steady handclap and glimmering melodic line uplifts and casts light across this seven-minute track.